Firearms Reform

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (14:17): Supplementary, sir: has the South Australian government conducted an audit of its firearms data holdings, as recommended by the Martin Place siege review?

The Hon. A. PICCOLO (Light—Minister for Disabilities, Minister for Police, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Road Safety) (14:17): First of all, my understanding is that that was a recommendation to the New South Wales government but, having said that, we have before this parliament at the moment a firearms bill which, hopefully, with the support of the opposition upstairs—

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The Hon. A. PICCOLO: Well, the purpose of the bill is to make sure that we actually remove from the general community firearms which pose a risk to the community, and those firearms are the ones which we don't know about. We already know—

The Hon. J.M. Rankine interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Wright is called to order.

The Hon. A. PICCOLO: We already know from the advice from the Australian Crime Commission that there are about 250,000 firearms unaccounted for in this country—long arms—and 10,000 handguns unaccounted for. Of course, the whole strategy behind the Firearms Bill is to ensure that number—

Mr GARDNER: Point of order: firstly, under 98, the minister is not being relevant to the question in relation to the audit of the data holdings, and—

The SPEAKER: Yes, and?

Mr GARDNER: —secondly, reflecting on debate in another place I suspect is also probably in there.

The SPEAKER: I will take advice on the second point, but I will listen carefully, as to the first point, to what the minister has to say. Minister.

The Hon. A. PICCOLO: Mr Speaker, all I can add is that this government is focused on making sure that we don't have firearms in the community which are not licensed.

The SPEAKER: I don't uphold the second point of order. The mischief that it is directed at is that you are not to canvass or agitate differences between the two houses in their approach to a bill. Leader.